Blaze Pink Hits a Snag During Attempt to Legalize in Michigan

Controversy over blaze pink comes to Michigan.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation last year to make hunter pink, or blaze pink, clothing legal as a safety color for hunters. But now, Mlive.com reports the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, which has final say on the matter, is re-thinking the idea for several reasons.

The DNR made the recommendation to stick with blaze orange after surveying hunter education instructors and finding that 209 of 216 instructors supported using hunter orange exclusively.

Many other states have either made pink a legal safety color or are considering similar rule changes. Often it is said such bills are an attempt to attract more new female hunters. But interestingly enough, 213 of the DNR's responses said they didn't know any non-hunters that would take up a gun in response to the law change.

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In another interesting tidbit from the DNR survey, and perhaps the most concerning, 38 said they had a hard time seeing the color pink.

While the DNR has clearly chosen their preference for the new law, the Natural Resources Commission wants to gather more information first. And they are looking for citizen input. Anyone interested is asked to email [email protected] with comments.

The final decision on the legality of pink will not be made until the commission's September 14 meeting.

Other states that have recently added pink to the list of legal safety colors include New York, Wisconsin and Louisiana.

It's not just lawmakers that have been kicking around the idea of pink hunting gear. Many gear makers have been too. Although, sometimes with mixed results. The Women's Hunting and Sport Association was not happy with Wiconsin's pink bill and called it sexist.

Interestingly enough, some researchers have claimed the blaze pink color is actually harder for deer to see and may be more effective for hunting. Make of that what you will.

We'll keep an eye on this story and bring you more details after the commission makes a decision.

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